From Introduction:
Welcome to the world of Mythe. In order to get you started on you adventures in this original campaign setting there are a few things that need to be established. What follows is a fairly detailed accounting of the continent of Mythe, most particularly the kingdom of Midland. Others powers are touched upon and will be expanded in greater detail in later releases, but for now Midland will be our home.
There is a literal glut of D20 products and campaign settings on the market today, so what makes Mythe unique? To start with, the land area involved is comparatively small, say, about the size of Australia. This was done to initially limit the scope of the amount of land the author needs to cover and to provide a more intimate setting. Secondly, while the Gods of Mythe are in integral part of the game, they are not a focus. In fact, there are only nine named Gods in Mythe, one for each alignment. While this has created some unique challenges in balance and variety, the end result is ultimately more satisfying than a pantheon full of the same archetypes seen in every setting. Lastly, the high magic/low magic debate has been left intentionally vague and is something that each DM will be able to decide for himself.
Mythe is a young continent with humans arriving on her shores only three centuries before. The intervening years have been full of strife and civil war, but nothing compares to the events of the last ten years. The two major powers on the continent, the Midlanders and the Cyndarin have been forced to coexist after a natural disaster rendered the eastern portion of the continent uninhabitable and killed off the bulk of her population. To get an idea of the mood here, imagine the basic premise of Star Trek VI (the initial inspiration for Mythe, if only on a minimal level). The destruction of Quonos and the threat of having to evacuate the Klingon Empire was initially met with shock and fear. While later Trek stories obviously negated this issue, the initial thought was, “What if the Klingons DID become the ‘alien trash of the galaxy?’” What if the Empire was emptied of her citizens and were forced to coexist with their blood enemies? How could the two powers possibly set aside all of their hate and distrust and do what they must to survive? Mythe explores these issues and more.
This work follows the basic information and guidelines for a fantasy settling laid down in the D20 SRD. Other works can be easily incorporated as the individual player sees fit. Prestige or variant classes should integrate well into a setting as varied as Mythe and should be customized for individual tastes. Gunpowder and firearms are not available on the continent as of yet, though as you will read there is an entire unexplored world outside the borders of Mythe that has been lost in antiquity. If you want an ironclad representing a lost elven kingdom to steam up the Mosby River or a Manduka horde to sweep across the northern border armed with musketry then that is your call.